If God is all you have, you have all you need.

My heart has been overwhelmed lately... 

Overwhelmed with what the future holds & how I am going to get there. 

 But then I get to read promises like these... and it brings joy in the depths of my heart. 

The Lord WILL FIGHT for ME!  

I don't have to worry or become overwhelmed, 

Because He will fight for ME! 

       

           

I want to keep my heart filled with these promises from my Savior. 

"Addicted" to anything fun?!?!?

Things I have been totally addicted too for the last few weeks: 

1. Lifetime movies.... 

yes, I know...lame =]

But they are SO good! 

2. Painting my nails 

(everyday) & making one nail a different color =] 

I just did them again tonight! 

3. Getting up early...

I hate the waking up part.. but I am enjoying being up early and getting a lot 

accomplished! 

4. Essie Nail Polish

I mean, Who isn't ?? 

( I am wearing the dark purple now, with one Mint colored nail) 

5. Mc Donalds Choc. Chip Frappe

(so not good for you- but Oh So good)

6. Dancing

Ok, really I am not dancing... but every time I hear music lately.. I find myself just Well..dancing  ( or trying) =] 

7. My amazing Starbucks cup... 

I got it in my recent trip to Florida for my best friends Wedding Shower.. it says Greetings from Florida

 I am from the Sunshine State and don't get to visit to often- so it brings me a little pep every time I use it! 

8. Doing the Laundry

I know you are thinking.. Seriously... She is so making that up! 

But I am not. I enjoy laundry. I must have done 7 loads this weekend =] 

9. Pandora Radio

I love that I can have music at my fingertips at work =] 

and of course it helps with my "dancing" thats going on at random times! 

10.  Watches

I have a severe addiction to watches. 

And to be more specific.. Michael Kors Watches. 

I seriously love them. 

 

11. My sweet, wonderful, amazing man! 

( how could I not be addicted to him)

If you don't know, we live three states away... about 8 hours apart. 

We have been together for 6 years (almost)

and living apart since May of 2009

WAY TO LONG! 

We are seeking the Lords Direction in what we should be doing and 

at this point we feel like He is telling us to stay where we are and keep pursuing him. 

so that is what we are doing! 

Being apart is awful

But it has grown us in our relationship more than we could have

ever imagined! 

And this time apart is worth the wait of what will be a beautiful beginning chapter for

the rest of our lives! 

 this was our 1st picture together.. ever =] 

This was taken at our Senior Homecoming at College 

 This would be one of the most recent photos of our summer vacation with my family to Michigan =] 

In case you couldn't tell.. he is the Love of my life! 

So.. What are some things that you have been doing lately? "Addicted" to anything fun?? 

I would like to hear about it!?! 

Please read this... It could save your life.

”THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. it may save a life.) Reblog this!

  
It seems that alot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a
situation. Everyone should read this especially each n every girl in this world. THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG…

FYI - Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:



1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

————————————————————————————————————————

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:


1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

 
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would 
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. (never really thought this would work- Thank you R.A.D. class for all the things you taught us)

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

————————————————————————————————————————

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go “hmm I must remember that” After reading forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.


1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.
 

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you! u are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
 

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
  

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.


If u have a heart or compassion reblog this post.
‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.

 
REBLOG THIS AND LET EVERY GIRL KNOW
ATLEAST PEOPLES WILL KNOW WATS GOIN IN THIS WORLD.
So please reblog this….Your one reblog can Help to spread this information.
I hope you all will Reblog. Lets See how many of you really care for this. 

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT REBLOGGING THISIS! IT COULD ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.

This is not a happy post- but something that I have read before and I have kept in the back of my mind many times when I am alone.

Kindle giveaway

I have been entering to win a Kindle Fire for almost 20 days now!! & there is now only 1 hour left to enter to win from one of the giveaways!! I have ALL my fingers crossed (and toes) that I am the winner!!!
I want to encourage you to go over and enter for your chance to win.. Hurry there is only a little time left and go follow her blog =]
They have great giveaways & some great blogs =]
 Head over to the following links and join in on the fun!!

http://www.fiberondecking.com/giveaways) - Giveaway
(http://www.fiberondecking.com) - Homepage! 

Kindle giveaway from Momvantage!

Wow!! I have been entering giveaways like crazy lately! I am trying SO hard to win a Kindle Fire!! And over at Momvantage there is another chance to enter to win one!! There are 21 days left to enter and there are 105 entries you can enter with!! and some of them you can enter every day!!!! Go head over and check it out!!!!



 http://momvantage.net/fiberon-amazon-kindle-fire-giveaway/

another giveaway!

I am entered in SEVERAL giveaways right now, and This is one of the giveaways that I REALLY want to win!!! 1st place gets an Ipad!!!! WHATTTT=] and 2nd place gets a Kindle Fire!! I have been saving for a Kindle for a few months now!! I want one VERY badly!! haha Go check it out and enter to win!!! 

Good Luck! 

http://bayareamommy.com/2012/03/april-ipad-mania-giveaway/

http://bayareamommy.com/2012/03/april-ipad-mania-giveaway/

giveaway =]

I would like to invite you to go check out the link below!! There are SO MANY giveaways that you can enter from this blog & links to other blogs!!!

I am entering in a giveaway today for $800 paypal cash!! I can only being to imagine the fun things that I could get for my mom, sister, boyfriend, dad and myself if I was to win that!! Go check it out for yourself and take a few minutes to enter!!!

http://bayareamommy.com/2012/03/hello-spring-800-cash-giveaway/#comment-11909

xoxo - whitney

Words mean something

I had an experience yesterday at Staples that absolutely blew my mind.

My mom and I were walking up to the check out counter and Three employees were standing there talking waiting to check someone out. One of the girls, around my age, starts talking (very loudly) about how she never wants to have children again... but she "could so be a foster parent because if she got a child that was ugly, mean or she just didn't like she could always send IT back." ( Did you notice she called the child an IT?)

I am standing around the back side of the check-out and its all I can do to keep my mouth from hanging open. One of her associates says, " well, would you consider adoption?" She laughed and said, "No, WAY!! Then If I don't like the kid, I can't send it back!"

Normally, I would just be offended, go on my way and not say anything. But as I am standing there I realize that my Mom can hear everything this person was saying.

-- What you need to know is that my mom grew up in foster homes. She lived in some good places and some not so good places. And unfortunately, not all foster homes are good, loving, safe and secure homes. We have a lot of children that are falling through the cracks of foster care.

(Before anyone gets offended,I am NOT saying that there are not good foster homes and foster parents. )

Mom and I walked out to car and the only words exchanged were, "I hope she never has the chance to be a foster parent." I could tell that this had bothered my mom, and it hurt my heart for her. I walked back to the store and returned the cart, she smiled then told me to have a wonderful day.

It took all of about 15 seconds for me to level my head and look her in the eye & say, " I hope you have a good day as well, but please know that what you say is heard by more people than you think. What you said while my mom and I were standing in here was very offensive." She looked at my like a deer in headlights saying that she didn't even remember saying anything. I then repeated verbatim what she said and her face turned bright red. I explained that My mom grew up in foster care and it offended her, I explained to her that It was not funny or something to joke about and that there are a lot of foster homes that are not a good place for children. She said, "Oh, I have friends in foster care- I stopped her and said , "Oh, so you KNOW that it's not funny. Nothing else was said and I walked away.

I explain all this to say, Words mean something.

"There’s an old children’s saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” If only that were true, but it’s a fable that needs to be laid to rest. Words can hurt a lot more than sticks and stones. They may not break bones, but they can surely break hearts. Words can devastate. Words can wound; words can kill. Words can ruin reputations and destroy relationships. There’s just no doubt about it-words hurt."

( http://sparkle333.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/words-that-hurt/ )

Remember the power of your words. They effect people, use them to uplift and speak good into your life & into others.

Proverbs 18:21a - The tongue has the power of life and death

-

'Reminding' God of his promises

Life is full of up's & down's. It can almost feel like an being stuck on a moving elevator at times, never reaching the correct floor and being able to step off.

I understand this feeling.

I understand this feeling better than I would like to.

I know how it feels to watch as other step 'off' of the elevator and into their life. Sometimes I find myself start to question myself, my education and my worth. I just can't always grasp why I can feel so stuck.

Saying all that, I can also turn 180 degrees and see that my life is far from stuck in other areas. I have graduated with great grades, started my Masters work, I am currently licensed in two different states, I have the most amazing man in my life (who will one day be MY husband -eeekk), A fabulous family who is always there for me and the opportunity to stay at home while I continue to look for where the Lord is leading.

I am blessed far beyond I could ever imagine!

But there are days, and everyone has them, where we feel like no matter how much we 'call out' or 'beg' God for direction... it's like there is closed door between you.

Recently, I heard a sermon from a pastor that totally changed my perspective on praying for my life, or about my life. One of the most powerful ways to pray is to find a promise in scripture, and 'remind' God what he says about you!

God is faithful to his promises.

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations3:22-23

Often, there are times where we can find ourselves begging God to change something in our lives or pleading with him. It is very clear in scripture that He already knows our problems. HE has also made promises to use in the scripture.. When you are faced with problems take a "God, you said..." and remind him of his promises He has for you.

"God, I know what you say is true. And I'm not going to be moved by what I see. I'm not going to be discouraged by what I don't see. I'm not going to give up because it's taking a long time. God I trust You. I know You will never fail. You will never let me down"

I must remember that no matter, how many times or how many ways I ask, God is not obligated to bring to pass what I say... but HE is obligated to being to pass what He says. So when you are faced with a problem, find that promise that applies to your situation and say "God you said..."

"God, You said You are my helper, and You will never fail me or let me down. " God is obligated to bring that promise to pass. That's His Word that is forever true. "God, I'm in this big problem. People are coming against me. But God, You said in Psalms the strength of the wicked is being cut off and the power of the godly is being increased. " "God you said the trap that the enemy set for me, they would fall in themselves. " God is obligated to bring that promise to pass.

Keep not silent, Keep reminding God of his promises to you.